The Opening Drive 4/2: More Black Stripes Are Removed, Injury News, and Block 0 Thoughts
A freshman and a transfer "officially" join the team and a freshman suffers a setback.
Before I dive in to your opening drive I just want to give Coach Slater his flowers for providing us with awesome observations from practice on Tuesday. I’m looking forward to recording our episode where we get to hear his thoughts out loud!
More Black Stripes Removed!
It’s no secret that we, here at Buckeye Film Breakdown, are huge Brock Boyd fans. We’ve discussed at nauseam how insanely under-ranked he was by the recruiting services. We’ve heard nothing but good during winter workouts, and now he is the first freshman to lose his black stripe! The Southlake Carroll wide receiver joins some pretty solid company, by losing his black stripe in just 6 practices. That makes him the third fastest Buckeye freshman receiver to do so. Jeremiah Smith lost his in just 4 practices and Carnell Tate lost his in 5 practices. This isn’t an indication that Boyd is being well-positioned for playing time, especially given the depth that Zone 6 seems to have, but if I were a betting man I’d put my money on Boyd seeing the field plenty.
Brock Boyd wasn’t the only black stripe removal that Coach Slater got to see on Tuesday. Linebacker Christian Alliegro also shed his black stripe. I don’t think this surprises anyone. Going back to the What Christian Alliegro Brings to the Buckeyes 2026 Defense film room that Coach did the indicators are there that he has the potential to be special. Alliegro is setting himself up to be a vital part of Matt Patricia’s second Ohio State defense, due to multiple factors including position versatility.
A “Legend”ary Start Hits a Pause
Ryan Day gave a noteworthy nugget on Tuesday. The running back room which is already down the perceived top 2 guys has suffered another setback. Legend Bey has been garnering praise since he arrived on campus, and that praise grew louder each practice that occurred this spring. However, Coach Day did state on Tuesday that Bey has missed a few practices due to an injury. Depending on how long the injury keeps Bey out of action, the running back room is down to 3 scholarship backs and a walk-on legacy. Reps are vital to Bey as his transitions to running back from quarterback, so let’s wish him a speedy recovery!
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LATEST ARTICLES:
The Opening Drive 3/30 (Lunchtime Edition): The History of The Black Stripe | Earned Not Given
The Opening Drive 3/27: The Buckeyes Add More NFL Experience and Pro Day Brings the NFL to Columbus
LATEST FILM ROOM:
FILM ROOM: Ian Moore vs. Purdue & Miami — What the Tape Shows
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Block O Recipient Guesses
As spring ball already approaches the halfway point, I began wondering how the spring game will look. But there’s normally one matter of business that gets resolved before the game and that’s the awarding of the Block O jersey. This year will be the seventh year of the Block O jersey, and there’s no shortage of possible recipients this year. I’m going to list 5 possible recipients, let’s see if I can get it right this year.
WR Brandon Inniss
WR David Adolph
OL Luke Montgomery
TE Bennett Christian
OL Carson Hinzman
Full disclosure, Kenyatta Jackson would’ve easily made this list but with the number change to 2 already on the record, I can’t see him changing numbers again.
Jeremy’s Memorabilia Item of the Day
Today we have a signed mini helmet for you. A Brandon Inniss signed mini helmet for just $80 BUY IT HERE
Buckeye Film Breakdown will return soon with some fresh content.
